India will be watching the new Rajapaksa regime closely

Sri Lanka’s geo-strategic location will continue to attract foreign powers like China and the United States (US) and therefore the tussle between them is likely to be played out in Sri Lanka. In this context, India’s ability to shape Sri Lankan policies will be tested. Moreover, how Gotabaya Rajapaksa engages with China will also be watchedSri Lanka is probably the most significant state in the evolving Indian Ocean geopolitics. Therefore, political trajectory of this island nation under the new dispensation will definitely determine the course of security competition in the Indian Ocean.Read Sankalp Gurjar's article here.

Grand events, small gains

Despite holding two grand events in the last month, India has not gained anything significant on the diplomatic front. Neither ‘Howdy Modi’ in Houston nor Modi-Xi summit in Mamallapuram resulted in resolving outstanding issues in the bilateral relationships with the United States (US) and China... Therefore, what exactly did these two grand events achieve? Who was the real audience for both these events?Read the full article here.

नवे पुस्तक: मुसलमानी मुलखांतली मुशाफरी (लेखक : श्रीपाद रामचंद्र टिकेकर)

हे पुस्तक वाचून असा कोणाचाही गैरसमज होऊ शकतो की, हे पुस्तक केवळ राजकारणाविषयीच असावे, पण तसे नाही. इराक व इराणमधल्या समाजजीवनाकडे टिकेकर अगदी विचक्षण दृष्टीने पाहत होते. त्यामुळेच ते लिहितात की, इराणमध्ये वाहने रस्त्याच्या उजव्या बाजूने चालवली जात असली, तरीही इराकमध्ये ब्रिटिश सत्तेचा पराभव असल्याने वाहने डाव्या बाजूने चालवावीत असा नियम आहे. इराकमध्ये खजुराशिवाय इतर कोणतेही झाड दिसत नाही. तसेच बसरा शहरात कोठेही गटारे नाहीत व अगदी मोठ्या कालव्यांतसुद्धा घाणेरडे पाणी असते. लोकांच्या स्वच्छतेच्या सवयीविषयी टिकेकर लिहितात की, ‘अरब म्हणजे अगोदरच गलिच्छ व अमंगळ लोक. त्यात इकडील थंडीचे निमित्त मिळाले की, सहा-सहा महिने त्यांना स्नान मिळत नाही’. इराणमध्येही असाच प्रकार होता. तिथे तर एकाच कालव्यात एकमेकांपासून काही फूट अंतरावरच कपडे धुणे, भांडी घासणे व पाणी पिणे असे तिन्ही उद्योग बिनदिक्कतपणे चालले असायचे.पूर्ण लेख वाचण्यासाठी इथे क्लिक करा.

Do informal summits with China work?

The hopes of a harmonious, balanced relationship between India and China post-Wuhan have not been realised. In fact, little has changed in the overall trajectory of the Indo-China bilateral relationship of limited co-operation and strategic competition. Therefore, the Mamallapuram summit will make for good optics for both Xi Jinping and Narendra Modi, but it is doubtful whether there will be a tangible outcome for the two countries.Read the full article here.

On India-Pakistan sparring at the UNGA

The Print’s daily roundtable TalkPoint posed a question: Does India-Pakistan sparring at UNGA bring any diplomatic benefit for either country?India does not gain anything by sparring with Pakistan at the UNGA. In fact, for a major power like India engaging in a war of words with Pakistan actually diminishes its status, re-hyphenates it with Pakistan, and demonstrates a lack of diplomatic foresight. Pakistan is a lesser power and India might actually gain more by ignoring Pakistan’s rhetoric at the UNGA than by responding to it.However, India’s tough posturing and appearing to send a ‘message’ to Pakistan at an international forum will have short-term gains domestically.With assembly elections due in Maharashtra and Haryana, domestic imperatives and people’s perceived requirements of a ‘tough posture’ are likely to influence India’s position on Kashmir and Pakistan at the UNGA.For Pakistan, provoking India to respond to its aggressive rhetoric is actually a victory. Pakistan would want to get the world to discuss India’s actions in Kashmir. Pakistan is also looking to score brownie points at the UNGA. India can negate Pakistani efforts by ignoring its rhetoric and instead focusing on other major issues such as climate change. So, it is not a good idea for India to fight with Pakistan at the UNGA. Read the entire discussion on ThePrint.in website here.

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